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Tag: Zimbabwe

  • Zimbabwe Tobacco Farmers Deliver More, But See 24% Revenue Drop

    Zimbabwe Tobacco Farmers Deliver More, But See 24% Revenue Drop

    Zimbabwe’s 2026 tobacco marketing season closed with farmers delivering 353.8 million kg of tobacco, a 2% increase from the previous season, driven primarily by contract sales, according to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB). Despite higher production, industry revenues fell 24% year over year to $882.5 million as the average selling price declined from $3.33/kg to $2.49/kg.

    The season also saw a 46% increase in rejected bales, highlighting quality challenges that TIMB said will be a key focus ahead of the next production cycle as the industry works to improve farmer returns and support Zimbabwe’s long-term goal of expanding the tobacco sector into a $7 billion industry.

  • Zimbabwe Cracking Down on Illegal Tobacco Seed Varieties

    Zimbabwe Cracking Down on Illegal Tobacco Seed Varieties

    Zimbabwe launched a coordinated crackdown on the cultivation of illegal tobacco varieties as part of its strategy to grow the sector into a $7 billion industry. Authorities warned that growers using unregistered seed face prosecution and destruction of their crops, citing recent convictions of farmers growing the banned KamuZambia variety, including one producer fined $10,000 after DNA testing confirmed the violation.

    Officials said illegal varieties threaten export markets, product quality, and Zimbabwe’s reputation for premium tobacco, as the country targets annual production of 500 million kg under its Tobacco Value Chain Transformation Strategy. Industry stakeholders are also urging merchant buyers to reject illegal tobacco, expand access to certified seed, and strengthen enforcement through DNA testing, inspections, and grassroots reporting networks.

  • ITGA Chief Calls for Better Incomes for Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Farmers

    ITGA Chief Calls for Better Incomes for Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Farmers

    Outgoing International Tobacco Growers Association (ITGA) President José Javier Aranda called on the Zimbabwe government, merchants, and contractors to prioritize farmers’ livelihoods, warning that the long-term sustainability of the global tobacco industry depends on growers earning a living income. Speaking at the ITGA Africa Regional Meeting 2026 in Harare, Aranda said tobacco farmers continue to bear rising production costs, climate-related risks, and increasing regulatory pressures while receiving shrinking returns, despite value creation elsewhere in the supply chain.

    Zimbabwe Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka, speaking as both a government official and tobacco farmer, acknowledged that this season’s prices had been disappointing and noted production costs have risen about 90% since 2017, calling for targeted farmer support and measures to improve profitability. The meeting, which concludes this week, also highlighted concerns that oversupply is squeezing contractors and financiers, with delegates urging greater collaboration across the industry to strengthen grower incomes and ensure a sustainable future for the sector.

  • Zimbabwe Moves to Tobacco Industry Act

    Zimbabwe Moves to Tobacco Industry Act

    Zimbabwe’s Cabinet approved the principles for amending the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Act, clearing the way for the first major overhaul of the legislation since 1997. The proposed reforms aim to modernize the legal framework by addressing developments in contract farming, tobacco research, corporate governance, and emerging tobacco products, while closing regulatory gaps related to contract breaches and side-marketing. Agriculture Minister Dr. Anxious Masuka said the amendments will also strengthen the regulatory role of the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board, align the law with public governance and financial management legislation, and expand the mandate of the Tobacco Research Board to include research on both manufactured and unmanufactured tobacco products, alongside greater support for farmers through research, extension services, and capacity-building.

  • Zimbabwe Cracking Down on Fake Tobacco Seed

    Zimbabwe Cracking Down on Fake Tobacco Seed

    Zimbabwe intensified enforcement against counterfeit and illegally imported tobacco seed as farmers establish seedbeds for the 2026/27 season following the opening of the tobacco planting window on June 1. Agriculture Permanent Secretary Obert Jiri described the distribution of fake seed as “agro-terrorism,” warning that it threatens crop productivity, farmer incomes, and the integrity of Zimbabwe’s tobacco industry. He said the country produces sufficient tobacco seed locally through the Tobacco Research Board and licensed seed companies and has no need for unauthorized imports.

    Authorities warned that individuals found importing or distributing unapproved tobacco seed varieties could face legal action. Kutsaga Research CEO Frank Magama said Zimbabwe’s certified seed system is based on extensive testing and breeding programs designed to deliver high yields, leaf quality, and disease tolerance under local growing conditions.

  • Zimbabwe Reminds Tobacco Farmers Stalk-Destruction Deadline Passed

    Zimbabwe Reminds Tobacco Farmers Stalk-Destruction Deadline Passed

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board reminded growers that the May 15 deadline for destroying all tobacco stalks has passed, urging immediate compliance to prevent the carry-over of pests and aphid-transmitted diseases into the 2026/27 season. Under Statutory Instrument 19 of 2008, farmers must completely uproot and destroy stalks to render plants incapable of regrowth, as part of an annual tobacco-free period designed to break pest and disease life cycles. Failure to comply attracts penalties of up to $100 per hectare for a first offence and $200 per hectare for repeat violations, alongside possible imprisonment. Authorities from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanization and Water Resources Development, and plant quarantine teams are conducting field inspections across tobacco-growing provinces as preparations begin for sowing seedbeds from June 1.

    TIMB is also urging farmers to conduct soil testing before planting to optimize fertilizer use, improve leaf quality, and reduce input costs, advising growers to work with laboratories, fertilizer suppliers, and government research departments. Additional compliance dates include no planting before September 1, clearing curing facilities by October 31, and destroying seedbed plants by January 1 each year.

  • CORESTA Extends Abstract Deadline

    CORESTA Extends Abstract Deadline

    CORESTA announced that it has extended the abstract submission deadline to May 22 for its upcoming congress taking place October 25–29 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Held under the theme “Science for Sustainability and Harm Reduction in the Transforming Tobacco Landscape,” the event is calling for papers in Agronomy & Leaf Integrity, Phytopathology & Genetics, Product Science, and Product Technology, with researchers invited to submit abstracts by the revised deadline. Click here for submission information.

  • Zimbabwe Tobacco Eyes Record Output, Concerned About China

    Zimbabwe Tobacco Eyes Record Output, Concerned About China

    Zimbabwe’s tobacco sector is moving toward another record year, projected to exceed 360,000 tons in output, up from 355,000 tons in 2025 and 306,000 tons in 2024, driven largely by contracted smallholder farmers working with foreign-backed agribusinesses, including Chinese-linked firms. According to the Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board, planted acreage increased by 15% with more than 127,000 registered growers, around 95% of whom are smallholders and account for roughly 85% of total output. The sector has rebounded sharply from its 2008 collapse, when production fell to 48,000 tons following land reform disruptions.

    While contract farming has expanded access to inputs such as seed and fertilizer and supported export growth across roughly 60 global markets, growers and industry representatives report increasing concerns over debt exposure, fees, and pricing pressures under financing agreements, particularly within systems dominated by Chinese contractors, which account for around 60% of export value. Zimbabwe is also seeking to diversify export destinations and expand domestic cigarette manufacturing, which currently represents about 11% of output, as officials, including Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, push for greater local value addition amid rising global scrutiny from public health and environmental groups, including the World Health Organization.

  • Zimbabwe Suspends Tobacco Buyer Over Pricing Concerns

    Zimbabwe Suspends Tobacco Buyer Over Pricing Concerns

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) suspended Country Agro International (Pvt) Ltd from all tobacco buying activities over suspected pricing irregularities during the 2026 selling season. In a May 4 notice, the regulator said it had identified concerning pricing patterns that could distort competition and harm grower viability, prompting a precautionary suspension pending further review. The company has been given five days to respond, as TIMB steps up enforcement efforts following recent action against unlicensed contractors in the sector.

  • Zimbabwe Assures Farmers Record Tobacco Crop Has Buyers

    Zimbabwe Assures Farmers Record Tobacco Crop Has Buyers

    Zimbabwe’s Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board (TIMB) guaranteed that the country’s projected record tobacco harvest projected to top 400 million kg will be fully absorbed by buyers, easing concerns over a global supply glut. International and domestic merchants have already committed to purchase the bulk of the crop, with authorities aiming to prevent a repeat of market disruptions seen in other producing countries where oversupply led to price collapses.

    Despite strong volumes, global demand has softened following post-pandemic stock rebuilding by cigarette manufacturers, contributing to an estimated 18% drop in prices. However, officials say emerging markets and potential future supply risks could support demand and pricing later in the season.